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8 Things I’ve Been Throwing on My Face to See What Sticks

Over the past month or so I’ve been throwing a lot on my face to see what sticks and figured I’d accumulated a good amount to write about. I’d like to dedicate this post to Sephora’s sheet masks which have brought my tired skin back to life.

I feel like I’d be doing a disservice if I didn’t start with said Sephora sheet masks. I flew to Dubai with work in September and ended up popping to Sephora twice. First time round I behaved and didn’t spend a penny. Second time round was a different story. You see I went back with Sanj, and the knowledge that she’d tried one of the masks the night before and adored it. She encouraged me to buy several so I grabbed a handful of face sheets, eye masks and lip masks. As soon as we got back to our hotel I immediately busted out the avocado face mask and loved how replenished it made my skin feel. It was hydrating, smelt great, was super easy to use and not too messy. You just peel open the sheet, whack and pat it on, leave for 10 minutes and then remove, massaging in the excess serum. They were dreamy and I want more.

I’m a fan of a tinted moisturiser and have been a loyal to Laura Mercier for years, it’s the only one I use. I like a light coverage as my skin can look a little cakey with too much foundation. I’m always keen to try new tinted moisturisers to see how they feel in comparison, and seeing as I’m a big fan of La-Roche Posay I was excited to receive Effaclar Duo (+) Unifant in the post. It comes in the same tube as the Effaclar Duo, doing two jobs at once, clearing up blemishes and giving coverage. I tried light and was pretty pleased with the results. It was creamy, light and easy to apply. It’s in a smaller tube than my Laura Mercia one and means I default to this when I go away as it fits into any make up bag. Although it has’t taken over from Laura Mercier it made a strong attempt.

I was sent this gorgeous bottle of 100% Natural Australian Jojoba Oil from The Jojoba Company and it was love at first site. I like a product that can multitask so the fact that you can use this oil to massage your body, face, cuticles, hands and lips is a plus point for me. I’m lazy so like to throw things on several places at once. My hands in particular have been suffering a lot with dry skin and bad chapping and I’m loving slathering this on before bed. I’m also keen to try this on my legs, which have become dry and scaly in the winter. I’m looking a bit lizard like.

I’m a cream blush hoarder. There, I’ve said it. I prefer the way they look on my skin as opposed to powder. I like the lived in look rather than perfection. The Sonia Rykel x Lancôme Cushion Blush Subtil (I have mine in 021 Sorbet Rose) promises a Parisian flush and I can report that it does just that. It’s a delicate coral pink which can be built up with the sponge applicator and cushion. On me it gives a natural flush, like I’ve nipped outside for 10 minutes in the chilly winter air. I swear by this blusher and haven’t stopped using it since I received it.

Let’s talk brows. I fell for the hype of Benefits brow range after testing a mini Goof Proof Pencil. I bought the full-sized version and after a couple of days got fed up of my brows and constantly drawing outside the lines as it were. I’m much better suited to a thin nib where I can either be really precise or scribble them on, safe in the knowledge that they’ll still look like mine! Enter NYX. I was drawn to their fancy new counter in my local Boots and picked up a NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Espresso. The colour matches, yes I have super dark brows and blonde hair, go figure. I’m not sure I love it as much as my original Soap & Glory Archery but for £7 I can’t complain. It fills in the gaps perfectly.

While in Boots I also grabbed two NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams in Istanbul and San Paulo, two reddy-pink shades. I’d read a lot about their lip products, mainly positive raves about how good they were for their affordable price and had high hopes. As soon as the weather turns, my lips become chapped and broken which makes it difficult to wear bold colours. These lip creams, were as creamy as I’d hoped and highly pigmented meaning I only needed one application. They lasted pretty well but after a few hours would cling to the chapped bits. They’re pretty dinky in size meaning they’re handy to chuck into a handbag.

My former work wife got me the Gen-Hyal Extreme Antioxidant Shock Treatment serum for my birthday last year and I’m pleased to say it’s lasted nearly the same amount of time. I’m really into applying serums and oils at night to freshly cleansed skin. This one wasn’t sticky, wasn’t a faff and my skin drank it in. I need to look into replacing it.

I got Benefit Dew the Hoola as a little freebie with my Elle subscription a couple of months ago and was a little wary because bronzer scares the crap outta me. I’m super pale, make that beyond super pale, and am scared that bronzer will look too obviously orange on my face. I also have no idea where you’re meant to whack it – the fact that I typed whack probably highlights that. I found this works best for me if I pump a little onto the back of my hand and use my fingers to apply a couple of dabs across my cheeks, the bridge of my nose, hairline and in a 3 around the side of my face. I then blended it in with my beauty blender. I didn’t look orange at all. It gave my face a little warmth. Although I don’t have the time (read can’t be bothered) to do this daily, I do add it if I’m going out and need to not look like Morticia Addams.

There you have it, these are the products I’ve been testing for the past couple of months.